Brooklyn Shootings on Fourth of July Weekend Injure NYPD Detective and Children

A violent Fourth of July holiday weekend in Brooklyn left a New York City police detective and four children wounded in separate shootings. Detective Robert Karroll, part of the Sex Offender Monitoring Unit, was shot in the back of his ballistic vest during an encounter with an 18-year-old armed suspect in Crown Heights. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed his injuries at a news conference. Karroll is expected to recover fully after being treated at Kings County Hospital.

A second officer in the incident received facial and shoulder contusions. Scott Munro, President of the Detectives’ Endowment Association, condemned the violence, expressing gratitude for Karroll’s survival, noting it prevented another funeral.

This violence has to stop. Our members are out there day and night protecting the people of New York City, and they need to be respected, Munro said.

Officers were in an unmarked police vehicle around 4:14 a.m. near Nostrand Avenue and St. Johns Place when approached by a person. Due to lack of body-worn cameras, details remain unclear, but the shooting was unexpected. The vehicle had multiple bullet holes.

Hours earlier, a separate shooting in Coney Island injured eight, including four children aged 6, 7, 12, and 14. Seven victims were stable, while a 21-year-old woman was critical.

During the officer shooting, Tisch said officers exited their vehicle to confront the armed suspect, leading to three officers firing their weapons. The suspect was unharmed but the police vehicle was damaged by gunfire. After a foot chase, police apprehended the suspect near Rogers Avenue and Union Street. A SAR 9mm firearm was seized.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed relief over Detective Karroll’s survival, emphasizing his role as a husband and father. Tisch noted that officers were part of a violence reduction plan for the holiday aimed at crew violence.

Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage from nearby businesses, as there is no body-camera footage of the incident.